Bandages which have heretofore been known in the art and which have found wide spread use both in the home and hospitals have generally consisted of a flexible piece of backing material having adhesive on one or more portions of one side and a centrally disposed absorbent portion. Usually the sterile absorbent material as well as the adhesive surfaces are protected from contamination and sticking by the provisions of one or more pieces of protective film which are peeled away from the adhesive and absorbent surface before applying the bandage. Such bandages are usually also packaged in small envelope like containers which are opened by tearing.
Although such bandages are relatively inexpensive and have been widely used, they suffer from a number of disadvantages. In most instances both hands must be employed to open the envelope containing the bandage and remove the protective film from the adhesive and sterile surface of the bandage prior to application. Further, in most instances the portion of the protective film which is grasped in order to remove it from the adhesive surface is the portion directly opposed to the sterile surface. Thus, the fingers of the person applying the bandage of necessity come into close proximity with the sterile portion of the bandage greatly increasing the risk of contamination. Once the protective film is removed from such conventional bandages and they are ready to apply, the additional problem is presented of properly holding the bandage while it is placed on the skin in the desired location. In general, such applications require both hands and are inconvenient at best.
Still a further disadvantage in operations in which conventional bandages are employed for certain types of therapy is that applications of antiseptic or other medicinal preparations must be made separately such as by the use of cotton or other absorbent swabs which are not always immediately available. For example, in the common procedure of drawing blood from an individual, it is first necessary to separately employ a cotton swab impregnated with alcohol or other fluid to cleanse the area where the needle will be inserted and then separately to open and apply a bandage of the type described above. Such procedures are not only cumbersome and time consuming, but involve the additional risk of contamination through contact with the fingers.
Finally, because of the separate packaging and manner in which the protective coverings are employed in conventional bandages, a number of fabrication procedures are actually involved which contribute to the expense of such bandages.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an integrated, self contained bandage which is both easier and more efficient to open and apply than bandages of the type described above.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an improved self contained bandage which permits sterility to be better maintained by avoiding the likelihood of contact with the sterile area of the bandage prior to application.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a bandage which can be fabricated in one piece.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a bandage in which an applicator for antiseptic or other medicinal preparation can be integrated with the bandage to facilitate its use and availability.